What I Learned

Dare I say it? But it seems as though life is slowly returning back to normal. And by normal I mean sleep-deprived parents of an infant, time outs for the 3 year old, realizing those 15 remaining lbs. of baby weight won't come off by themselves, trying to find time to balance freelance projects and other duties, etc., etc. You know those kind of normal frustrations. But I will gladly take those over the frustrations of just a couple weeks ago.

I am hopelessly behind on blog posts. But before I get to those, I want to write something while it's fresh.

A couple weeks ago, Wade & I went through probably the scariest few days of our lives so far. Not knowing what is wrong with your child and then watching your child...a baby!...be in so much pain is life-changing. Big picture here, I know there are children with deadly, chronic illnesses hurting everyday. Our four days in the hospital is nothing compared to their everyday life. But for us, this was pretty horrible.

Something I have to admit but am not proud of is that I've always been one of those people that never knew the "right" way to respond to someone hurting. So often, my response was nothing for fear that it would be awkward or not helpful. If anyone out there can relate, I hope this will help.

One of the biggest ways this experience was life-changing was because of the people around us. I wish there was a better word than grateful, but that's all I've got. Weeks later, we are still so grateful for all of the people that reached out to us in one way or another. It taught me a lot.

It taught me how meaningful it is to that person hurting when you just show up at the hospital with a Diet Coke or Cherry Limeade. It taught me that no matter how much of a time-waster it can be, Facebook is an amazingly powerful tool for getting information out and having people support you. It taught me the power of stopping by a hospital room for barely five minutes just to let a scared parent know they were being prayed for. It taught me how helpful it is for someone to bring a meal to you at the hospital. It taught me that the gift of a small stuffed animal can really brighten up a hospital room. It taught me how helpful it is when someone drops off a bag full of a snacks and drinks. It taught me how truly beneficial it is once you're home to have delicious meals arrive for several nights. It taught me that when you've got more than one kid, you have to say yes and let others help. It taught me that every text, FB message, phone call, or e-mail is read and is truly appreciated.

There's a lot about those four days I'd like to forget. But I hope I will never forget how wonderful it was to feel so loved, thought of, and prayed for. I look forward to the opportunity to do the same for someone else in the future and hope you will too!